Now before we know how to handle them, we first have to know them…..
So, who are toxic people?
I mean we all have flaws, no one is perfect, some have bad attitudes but what do you think makes a person toxic?
It is very easy to identify a toxic person.
When this person feels to be draining you emotionally, someone who makes you feel miserable than happy, someone that you feel like you are walking on eggs when you are with them. That is a toxic person.

Now that we have identified them, let us talk about How to handle them.

First and foremost:
1. TRY TO AVOID THEM IF YOU CAN
That is the truth. If you can avoid them, do. If you have to cut them off, do. Because if this person holds no positive impact on you physically, emotionally, mentally and so on and just make you down, why have them around? That is a fact. Stay away from them completely if you can.

2. IF YOU CAN’T AVOID THEM COMPLETELY, KEEP THEM AT ARMS LENGHT
Now, this is for cases when the person can’t be completely avoided. It can be a family member, a colleague and so on…
In cases like this, just dey your dey. You can talk to them, be on good terms and so on but never let them in. Never let them come too close. Never tell them secrets. I am not telling you to make them your enemy. Just keep them safely afar.

3. IF YOU HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM OFTEN, WATCH YOUR WORDS AND LEARN TO IGNORE THEIRS
Now some of the traits of toxic people are blackmail, negativity, arrogance, etc. When you talk to them. Keep your words on the surface. Don’t dig in and start having deep discussions with them. Just talk to them solely on the purpose like work, checking up on them, education, etc. When you start talking too much, it will be a pain to have to be explaining yourself, saying that this is not what you meant , you get the picture. Also learn to ignore or even laugh at the stupid/arrogant/hurtful things they say. Just don’t bother exchanging words or arguing with them. For your own sake.

4. DON’T ALLOW THEM HURT YOU AND IF YOU CAN’T HELP IT, DO NOT SHOW/LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE HURT
These are for the sadists, the ones who gain pleasure in hurting others. Other types of toxic people fall in this category as well, but let’s focus on that type. Now these ones will go out of their way to make you miserable and love doing so. Emotional abuse is the most common form. They put you down constantly. In cases like this, don’t allow it get to you. Just don’t. Just tell yourself that it is their awful nature and getting hurt will only make them happy. But if you still find yourself getting hurt by it, don’t show it until you have fully learned not to get hurt. Just smile at them, laugh, ignore or even thank them when they say or do something awful. Trust me, that will anger/disturb them.

5. STAND UP TO THEM AND DO NOT FEEL GUILTY FOR DOING SO
This is another common character among toxic people. They treat you wrongly and when you call them out, they start blackmailng you and trying to make you feel guilty/rude/bad/troublesome/annoying. It is simply the game of pushing the blame to you.
Now, it may be easy to cave in and feel bad, especially if you are the sensitive type and the person is very manipulative. Don’t allow this get to you. Learn to stand you for yourself. Don’t feel bad. Don’t feel guilty. No one has the right to treat you wrongly. You have the right to call out someone and let the know they are being mean. You also have the right to get angry about it. So, when toxic people try to get to you, tell them to their face that they can’t manipulate you or simply shrug it off.

6. KNOW WHEN TO SEEK HELP
Everything in life has it’s limits. When you realize that this person is actually becoming a danger to you and there is no escaping them, get help. A perfect example is an abusive spouse/partner. If you know you cannot handle it and your life is at stake, run. Get help. Talk to a trusted person about it. Don’t say in the name of coping/ignoring/adapting you will allow yourself to be a sacrificial lamb or martyr. When everything mentioned up there fails and has become a danger to you, just tell yourself you have had enough. Then get help.